Indoor Skydiving

Indoor skydiving is an exciting new’ish sport where you are in an atmosphere which enables you to float and move around in the air, giving a sensation of real skydiving. A vertical wind tunnel, often shortened and called a VWT is a tunnel which forces air up vertically. The wind is forced upwards at around 120 miles per hour, which is about the right speed to keep a human being, belly-downwards, afloat.

You can therefore fly in this tunnel without the help of a plane or parachute, in what is called bodyflight. It is particularly appealing to those who would enjoy skydiving, but feel safer having their feet on the ground. In this simulated atmosphere, you are never more than a few feet above the ground.

Jack Tiffany was the first human to fly in a VWT at the Wright Patterson Air Force Base, in 1964. But it wasn’t until 1979 that the first recreational facility was built. It was built by a company called Aerodium in Canada. The sport came to greater fame when a “wind machine” was built especially for the closing ceremony of the Torino Winter Olympics in 2006. Recently, there have been many centers opening up around the world, and the sport is becoming more popular.

To enjoy the thrill of free-falling in a controlled environment, a bodyflight ‘pilot’ will usually have a 30 minute training session with an instructor at the Recreational Center, and is then kitted out with a special flight suit, goggles, specialist headgear, earplugs and knee and elbow pads. These are worn over regular clothes and sneakers which should be comfortable and unrestrictive. Entry through the door of the flight tunnel is with the help of the door a personal flight instructor. Most flights are of a minute’s duration, during which you can just spread out for the feeling of a free fall, do acrobatics including turns, lateral movements and rolls, or just enjoy being kept aloft and overpowering the force of gravity. The flight is accompanied at all times by a flight instructor.

No experience or training is necessary before arriving at the recreational center, and the sport is safe for all ages, including children. For anyone who has dreamed of flying, this is the ultimate experience!